< Previous www.TerryLowry.com October 2018U.S. Pregnancy Centers Served Nearly 2 Million People with Free Services in 2017By Kirk Waldon Senior Writer Pregnancy Help News Kirk Walden is a senior writer with Pregnancy Help Ne ws, an Advancement Specialist with Hear tbeat Inter national and author of The Wall. He also blogs at www.kirkwalden.com. Recently, a comprehensive report on the work of pregnancy help centers was released, celebrating 50 years of service and examining how the movement has evolved over the last half century. Love More Than The Baby The 80-page report, “A Half Century of Hope, A Legacy of Life and Love: Pregnancy Center Service Report, Third Edition,” produced by the Charlotte Lozier Institute, presents key f indings from 2,600 U.S. pregnancy help centers affiliated with one or more of the three major national networks — Care Net, Heartbeat International, and NIFLA—as well as other parent pregnancy center organizations. Chief among those findings is that pregnancy centers served nearly 2 million people in the United States with free services in 2017—an estimated community cost savings of at least $161 million. “Looking at our collective work on a grand scale is simply breathtaking,” said Jor-El Godsey, president of Heartbeat International, a worldwide organization of 2,600 affiliated pregnancy help centers. “At pregnancy centers, we bear witness to miracles every day—as it turns out, nearly 2 million times each year—because of dedicated volunteers and generous supporters who feel called to make a difference in people’s lives.” Ultrasounds Save Babies The bulk of community cost savings comes from the 400,100 ultrasounds performed at pregnancy centers last year. Those services saved communities over $100 million. Over the last decade, pregnancy help medical clinics offering ultrasound have more than doubled, from approximately 700 centers in 2008 to 1,944 in 2017. Today, more than 7 in 10 centers provide ultrasound. With the growth of ultrasound, the demand for medical professionals at pregnancy centers has also increased, and thousands have answered. RN’s and Sonographers Needed Registered nurses and medical sonog raphers contributed over 400,000 hours to pregnancy centers, and a total of 67,400 volunteers—7,500 of which were medical—volunteered their time to centers in 2017. 20Kirk WaldonWeekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.com21October 2018 www.TerryLowry.comPrenatal-Continuing Education and Parenting Classes In addition to medical services, pregnancy centers have also expanded educational opportunities for clients. In 2017, 87 percent of centers offered parenting and prenatal education programs—an increase from 78 percent of centers in 2010. Other growing additions to the pregnancy help movement include Abortion Pill Reversal, which has saved over 500 lives since its inception in 2007, and the use of mobile units, 100 of which are now operating across the U.S. Although 86 percent of pregnancy centers receive no public funding, they have nevertheless earned recogni-tion from multiple levels of government. Resolutions honoring pregnancy centers have been passed in 18 states, and state health departments actively refer to pregnancy centers in at least 18 states. Trump Trumpets The Success The mov ement’s reach has ev en touched the highest tiers of U.S. govern-ment. In his historic March for Life address this year, President Donald Trump stood alongside pregnancy help center person-nel and former clients, commending their devotion and courage in the face of trying circumstances. Then, in a landmark victory capping off the movement’s last 50 years this summer, the Supreme Cour t of the United States struck down an onerous California law that violated the First Amendment free speech rights of pregnancy center workers. Set free from the demands of the abor tion lobby, the pregnancy help community is moving forward on its course to rescue children and their parents from the pain of abortion. “The last half centur y has seen a tremendous outpouring of love and care for women and families in despair,” said Godsey. “In the face of darkness, our movement has provided light to the country and to the world millions of times over. Together, we have empowered women to rescue their babies, to reject the lies of the abortion industry, and to seek a new way of life. By the grace of God, the next half century will prove to be even more fruitful, as our ever-increasing skill, professionalism, and care propels this movement and our country to a time when every human life is treated with the love and respect deserve.” Kirk Walden is a senior writer with Pregnancy Help News, an Advancement Specialist with Heartbeat International and author of The Wall. He also blogs at www.kirkwalden.com. www.TerryLowry.com October 201822The Danger of Government SchoolsBy Cathy Ruse Senior Fellow and Director of Human Dignity Family Research Council The situation in government schools is dire and getting more dire every year. All parents, whatever their circum-stance, must consider the danger government schools present to the souls of their children and even the soul of our country. Activist/author Mary Rice Hasson and philosopher Theresa Farnan get this exactly right in their important new book Get Out Now: Why You Should Pull Your Child from Public School Before It’s Too Late. They explain that, while education achievement markers have been declining, government schools “have been successful in one area: churning out youthful progressives — growing numbers of men and women in the grips of existential confusion, perpetual victimhood, and politi-cal intolerance.” Gender Ideology Hassan and Farnan begin with the hottest of issues roiling American schools, the imposition of “gender ideology.” They call it “the game changer,” and indeed it is. Government schools now preach, and enforce, the radical, anti-science position that biological sex is meaningless, that some kids are born in the wrong bodies, that women have penises, too. Pediatrician and outspoken child advocate Michelle Cretella calls this psychological abuse. She tells the story of a little girl who had been subjected to a male classmate’s “coming out” ceremony as a “trans girl” (orchestrated by the teacher, without the parents’ knowledge). One night, getting out of the bathtub and looking at her long hair slicked back, she burst into tears and asked her mother if she was turning into a boy. This is sheer propaganda, meant to throw children off balance. And it surely does. This is nothing less than child abuse at the hands of those we have entrusted with our children. Attacks on Christianity But sex confusion is hardly the only issue that should keep kids out of government schools. There is also the overt attack on Christianity. Hassan and Farnan tell the story of James Corbett, a California science teacher who was fond of attacking Christianity in the classroom. He told the kids that putting on “Jesus glasses” would blind Christians to scientific truth. He told them that believing in God was as ridiculous as believing in a “gigantic spaghetti monster living behind the moon.” Fed-up parents finally took the case to court and were told by a judge that his classroom behavior was “appropriate and legitimate.” Hassan and Farnan show how government schools can be a one-way ticket for your kids to leave the Church. Anti-Americanism And then there is anti-Americanism. There has been no more influential history book in our time than Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, a primer for hating America because America has only ever done Cathy Ruse23October 2018 www.TerryLowry.comevil. You can be sure that most of those teaching history to kids have been steeped deeply in Zinn. Hassan and Farnan point out that the National Network of State Teachers of the Year recommend a smelly book called the Social Justice Book List that lists the themes of “classism, racism, xenophobia, sexism, and transgen-derism.” This is for kids in pre-school through sixth grade. If you wonder why your 4th grader comes home sounding like Jeremiah Wright and worse, this is why. Not in Your Lifetime It goes without saying that there are good and faithful teachers, too; faithful to their calling to educate and not indoctrinate. They, too, are victims of the ideologues. If they resist, they risk losing their jobs. In fact, we know teachers in government schools who have chosen to leave rather than teach this wicked nonsense. The bad news is Hassan and Farnan make clear “you cannot fix these problems, not in your child’s school life-time anyway.” What this means is you have to get your kids out now, today. It also means that you should work hard to change the school systems anyway, for the sake of their kids, for the sake of the country. Cathy Ruse is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council. This article was co-written with Austin Ruse, President of C-Fam. This article appeared in The Stream on September 10, 2018. Weekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.com www.TerryLowry.com October 201824Child-Centered Education FundingGuest Editorial by Allan E. Parker, Jr., JD President, The Justice Foundation The greatest need for educa-tion refor m today is for more child centered funding. Under child-centered funding, or Education Savings Accounts, the parents or guardians choose the school that is best for their child. The education money, which is already held in trust by the State for the child, then follows the child to the school of the parents' choice. Child-centered funding is the real key to unlocking student achievement and ending the failures and the indoctrinations of public schools. We have been casting more money at the problem and wringing our hands for decades. More money, without restructuring the funding mechanism, will not produce any significant reform or advancement. Only by empowering the consumer to make the decision about where to spend their money will we force improve-ment from the bottom up. The child-centered funding choice mechanism acts as a catalyst to induce change on both the individual and system wide level. Example: Combatting Bullying For example, if bullying is a problem for a young person, they can immediately transfer to another school. Life improves for that child. If they are the only one affected, nothing changes at the old school. However, if bullying is a significant problem and two to five percent of the parents start leaving, taking their children's money with them, Administrators will be bound by duty, and under this new system by their own financial self-interest (as funding could decline) if they don't fix it, to take action. By taking action to reduce bullying and to keep students who were once afraid of the bully, the stu-dent and the parent are more secure in the public school setting. The exodus because of bullying stops. Teaching Values, Morals, Right and Wrong As a Christian, I advocate for child centered funding. Many parents want to bring Christian values, morals, instruction in right and wrong along with our Christian beliefs back into their children's education. Since 1962, the Supreme Court has blatantly kicked God out of the public schools. However, in Zelman v. Harris, 536 U.S. 639 (2002), the Supreme Court said that Legislatures could let parents Allan E. Parker, Jr. 25October 2018 www.TerryLowry.comWeekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.comchoose to take their children's public education money to a private religious or secular school, if they so desire. Since 1962, the public schools have declined, especially in terms of discipline and values. Now we are seeing the death of children in public schools. It is not the public schools' or teachers' fault; it is the fault of the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has given the ‘green light’ so that everyone can find a better school that incorporates their values, whether Christian or non-Christian. That is the free exercise of religion, not the establishment of religion. All Can Benefit As the bullying example demonstrates, as some con-cerned parents leave and take their money with them, the bullying problem at the entire school was addressed and handled by the administrators, benefiting every child. This is exactly how free markets work. The same mechanism works with failure to read by third grade (too common now), safety, or some weird experi-mental curriculum, for other examples. School choice allows innovation, but the only kids who experience the innovation are the ones whose parents say, "Sounds good. I will try it." If it works great, other schools will voluntar-ily copy it. Today, as teachers can too often attest, educa-tion fads come and go based on who controls the top level of admin, not reality based results. Next boss comes, new fad. Free public education paid for by the State of Texas is already the right and entitlement of every child in Texas, whether they attend a public or private school. It’s time for child-centered education funding. We need to give every-one the choice for child-centered education funding through education savings accounts. Not every child is served best by public educa-tion. It’s now time to empower the student and the parent to make the right choice for them. Child-Centered Funding Helps All Students As the bullying example demonstrates, as some con-cerned parents leave and take their money with them, the bullying problem at the entire school was addressed and handled by the administrators, benefiting every child. This is exactly how free markets work. The same mechanism works with failure to read by third grade (too common now), safety, or some weird experi-mental curriculum, for other examples. School choice allows innovation, but the only kids who experience the innovation are the ones whose parents say, "Sounds good. I will try it." If it works great, other schools will voluntar-ily copy it. Today, as teachers can too often attest, educa-tion fads come and go based on who controls the top level of admin, not reality based results. Next boss comes, new fad. Free public education paid for by the State of Texas is already the right and entitlement of every child in Texas, whether they attend a public or private school. It’s time for child-centered education funding. We need to give every-one the choice for child-centered education funding through education savings accounts. ABOUT THE AUTHOR In 2000, Allan Parker was designated a “Hero for Children” by the Texas Board of Education for “significant contributions to public school education in Texas, and for outstanding contributions to the success of the Texas pub-lic education system.” Allan Parker, President of The Justice Foundation (for-merly the Texas Justice Foundation), is a former Professor of Law at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, where he taught Education Law and Civil Procedure. He was a Visiting Professor at the University of Texas, and studied International Human Rights at the International Human Rights Institute in Strasbourg, France. He taught International Human Rights at the St. Mary’s Institute on World Legal Problems in Innsbruck, Austria in 1992. www.TerryLowry.com October 201826REBUILD HOUSTON Has Kept None of Its PromisesBy Bill King Activist and Former Houston Mayoral Candidate There were three pillars to the Rebuild Houston program that imposed a drainage fee on Houstonians of over $100 million each year. First, the money would be used to solve our flooding problem. Secondly, the money would be placed in a lockbox where elected officials could not divert it to some other purpose. Lastly, it was going to be a “pay-as-you-go” system that would reduce and ultimately pay off the City public improvement bonds. All of those were laudable goals, but none of those promises have been kept. Instead of Flood Control: Bicycle Coordinator First, we now know that the City used, at least, 60% of the drainage fees for something other than drainage. Mostly, the money went to balance the general fund budget. The City immediately began paying for over 500 employees from the fund, none of whose work has anything to do with drainage. Recently, the City posted a position for a ‘pedestrian and bicycle coordinator” to be paid from the fund at a cost of nearly $100,000 per year. From 2012, when the pro-g ram f irst implemented through June, 2018, the City collected $784 million in drainage fees, yet only spent $377 million on projects that the City has designated as drainage projects. However, many of the projects the City calls drainage actually include elements such as paving and side-walk and curb reconstruction that have nothing to do with drainage. City Admits Diverting Drainage Fees The City even admits that the fees were not spent for drainage. In a story in the Houston Chronicle that was pub-lished last month, Carol Haddock, the City’s Public Works Director, said, “What [Turner has] told me is that 50 percent of the money needs to go into projects that were identified for the purposes of solving flooding and drainage.” This is a startling admission for a City that had nearly 100,000 of its homes flooded less than a year before. Obviously since over 60% of the money has been diverted to other things, the so-called lockbox has been a joke. What voters were not told at the time was that in the fine print there were a number of loopholes that allow the City to do pretty much whatever it wants with the money. Even where the charter amendment had specific limita-tions, the City has ignored them. For example, the charter language limits expenses of maintenance and operation to 25% of the total. Yet, according to City budget documents, the amount spent on M&O has exceeded 25% every year. In 2017, the M&O expenses were over 50%. Egregiously Misleading Lastly, the City has not reduced its Public Improvement Bonds (PIB) as a result of the program. At the end of 2011, the year before Rebuild was implemented, the City owed $2.46 billion on its PIBs. As of the last audit, the City owed $2.4 billion, thus having reduced the bonds by $60 million over the first six years of the program. However, the voters have since authorized another $300 million which will soon take the total back over the amount owed back in 2011. In November, citizens will be asked to reaff ir m the Rebuild Houston program. The only reason it is on the ballot is because the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the ballot language used in the 2011 election was “egregiously misleading.” Turner has said that he intends to continue to run the Rebuild Houston program as it has been, regardless of the outcome of the vote. Rain-Tax Re-Do: Just Vote No The citizens of Houston need to send a message loud and clear. It is not okay to collect drainage fees and then spend the money on something else. Had the City spent the $784 million on flood control projects instead of pet projects, thousands of Houston families would not have sat by help-lessly as Harvey flooded their homes? If Rebuild Houston passes again, the City will use it as a mandate to continue to divert the drainage fees and Houstonians’ homes will continue to flood. That is why we must defeat it this time. Bill King27October 2018 www.TerryLowry.com www.TerryLowry.com October 20182829October 2018 www.TerryLowry.comNext >